Monday, January 31, 2011

Good news everyone. You can now FTP your images to Dept. of Corrections! No more burning dvds, packing, and shipping. DofC will provide you with a password protected drop box, and log-in info for your favorite FTP software. This will ease your workflow even more! Start your upload before you go to bed, and by the time you have your morning espresso, DofC will have your images!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Put down the mouse, and step away from your computer!

Now more than ever, photographers need to spend their valuable time photographing their clients, or marketing and networking to find new ones. It's more profitable to outsource the processing of your files to another visual professional. Dept. of Corrections will edit your shoots, correct and convert your RAW files, and perform retouching and pixel editing; freeing you to shoot more, market more, or just chill out more! This blog will describe the services in detail, and their fees. You'll also be able to view some retouching samples, read a little bio, and find contact info (see the profile to the left.)

Let's start with image culling. This involves editing your take from a job to an appropriate number of images for proofing. Using a program like Adobe's Lightroom, images which are technically beyond salvaging or unflattering to the subject will be deleted. So will excess duplicates of similar photos. The approach taken will insure that the story of your project will be told, with particular attention paid to retaining the seemingly odd or quirky image that makes each job unique. Your photographic style will be respected.

How it works: You request a desired range of images you'd like to show your client. The charge is $.09/image times the total number of images in the batch. Example: 1000 images = $90.00, regardless of whether 350 or 700 images make the cut.

The next step in the workflow is to correct and convert your RAW

files. This is my most popular service. Using Adobe's Lightroom or Bridge/Camera Raw software your selects will be density, contrast and color corrected. Then they'll be batch renamed using your naming protocol (if desired) and output to your preferred file format. If you'd like

to process out the files yourself, the xmp files containing all corrections can simply be e-mailed to you. The goal here is to create files of at least

sufficient quality for proofing. And these images will provide a solid foundation on which to apply your artistic vision when creating final print/album photos. If you're not doing a lot of retouching or stylizing, you should be able to make final prints without any additional work.

How it works: Send your RAW files or Jpegs either on DVD, small external drive, or even a CF card, or FTP your files. The fee is $.28 per RAW file, and $.32 per Jpeg.

Dept of Corrections also performs a wide range of Photoshop pixel editing.

This is broken into two tiers, depending on the level of retouching needed. The less

expensive tier is $30.00/hr (1hr minimum.) This level of service would be appropriate to make images suitable for final prints; either a loose print order, or album prints. Image density, contrast, and color would be optimized.

Sensor dust and MINOR blemishes and red-eye would be removed. B&W and sepia conversions would be made (you may supply your preferred methods, actions, etc.,) and noise reduction and/or sharpening would be applied as necessary. The above fee is based on expecting a few hours' worth of work, the type of which 10-12 finished images can be completed per hour. In other words, a typical album order or large loose print order, where most of the images need just a little clean up and tweaking. The cost per image of this service is actually quite reasonable.

The upper tier service is $50.00/hr (1/2hr minimum, billable in 15 minute increments,) and would include all the lower tier work, plus significant pixel editing of an image. Included here would be beauty retouching of wrinkles, smoothing skin, liquifying and reshaping of body contours, replacing of heads, eyes, and the like. Before any work commenced we'd discuss the issues with the image, the desired result, and the budget for the work. Typically, only a small percentage of an album or loose print order would receive this treatment. If you click on the "Doc Samples" link in the Cool Stuff on the Web section at the top right, you'll be able to view a small sampling of retouching. I must give a shout out to my colleagues Mike Kehr and Michael Leslie for letting me post samples of my work on their images. Thanks guys!

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About Me

Dept. of Corrections is owned by Ron Truch. My business has been in operation since 2003. Between 1999-2003 I was the production manager of a prominent and busy wedding and commercial studio in Philly. During that time I was instrumental in defining and developing the studio's digital workflow. My knowledge of production and digital image management forms the foundation of Dept. of Corrections.
I'm a member of the ASMP, NAPP, AND DWF. Used to be a member of the Delaware Valley Miata Club, but I let that lapse. Still have the Miata though!
When I'm not getting a computer screen tan, I try to travel as much as possible. My goal is to set foot on all seven continents at least once. Four down, three to go.

Why Outsource?

Photographers achieve their highest earning power when they're behind the viewfinder, not in front of a computer. And busy photographers frequently have to deal with hundreds or even thousands of images from a single shoot, most of which won't make it to final prints. Thus, why have your most valuable staff member do a task that can be done by someone else for a lower cost? Free up the photographer to make images, and make the studio the most money.

You may say, "I'm giving up creative control over my images." Well, not really. People who provide image processing services are adjusting your files only enough to give you a solid base on which to express your art. Using Dept of Corrections isn't that much different than using a good pro film lab back in the old days. The photographer and the service work together to achieve the desired look. Only now we use computers and digital files instead of dip and dunk machines and clip tests.

Finally, the beauty of working with digital files is that nothing is set in stone. Not like chrome film where once it was run through the machine, it was done. I fully expect that a small percentage of the images I work on will at some point be re-processed. Not because of any defect, but simply because the end use might require a different look. With my own personal work I'll revisit a RAW file and try a new process just because I'm in a different mood, or I'm working on a series of prints and I want a consistent look throughout.